Well before you ever hit the road, and shortly after you drop a whole lot of money on your RV, the expenses start to add up. I am not trying to put a dash to anyone's hopes, but only to provide a taste of reality. Of course, you have likely planned for additional setup costs as you are setting up a mini second household. However, if there is one piece of advice I can pass on, prepare to add an additional $3-5000 to your overall budget in addition to your RV purchase price.
Here is a modest example of how those costs can add up for the items you will need straight out of the gate (and this doesn't include the actual vehicle to tow the RV!)
- RV Hitch Kit (we are pulling a 5th wheel) - $1734
- Air Suspension Kit (must have to preserve your vehicle) - $423
- 50 Amp RV Power Cord - $177
- Voltage Protector - $161
- Wheel Chocks - $55
- Rear/Side Camera system - $933
- Tire Monitoring System - $212
- Battery Isolator - $82
That's almost $3800 before household goods such as sheets, towels, pots, pans, knives, etc. You get it.
I left the details of operational must-haves to Jeff, and trust that he knew what was needed (including a new stinky slinky, hitch guard, black tank deodorizer, gray tank tablets etc.) The start-up list is long, but fortunately almost all a one-time buy.
We also had the additional cost for outfitting our RV with 2 virtual workspaces to be able to work. This meant investing in a Verizon Wifi box for the best connectivity. Most RV campsites provide free WiFi but are notorious for lacking bandwidth and speed.
Last piece of useful advice. Consider investing in an RV App (or 2) to assist with finding campgrounds & services. Most of the Apps out there are reasonable, and many include a discount to partnered campgrounds. We went with RV Life & The Dyrt and also purchased an Arizona State Park past. The latter is because even though you may be paying for an RV camping spot, the State Parks will still charge you THEIR entry fee as well.
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